Extending Hunter Dozier sets up KC Royals to succeed

The KC Royals signed Hunter Dozier to a four-year $25 million contract extension and this shows that Dayton Moore is thinking about succeeding in both the short-term and the long-term.

While spring training was just getting underway in Major League Baseball, the Kansas City Royals wanted to make sure one of their players was taken care of in the long-term, as they inked Hunter Dozier to a $25 million contract extension, keeping him in Kansas City through 2025 (his age 33 season).

This is a good move for so many reasons, but the main one is that it shows that Moore is focusing on both short-term and long-term success. One of the big reasons this deal might have gotten done is because it’s insurance should Adalberto Mondesi bolt when he hits the open market.

If that happens, Bobby Witt Jr. can be the team’s shortstop (which is probably going to happen either way) and Dozier can then stay at third base and even shift to right field once Whit Merrifield’s contract is up.

Third baseman Hunter Dozier and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a four-year, $25 million contract extension that includes a fifth-year option for $10 million, sources tell ESPN. Deal buys out two potential free agent years for the 29-year-old and starts this season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 28, 2021

This move is very unlike the KC Royals, but it’s something they’ve needed to do in years past.

Being a small market team is difficult, but the Royals managed to keep one of their staples in Kansas City for the next half-decade and didn’t have to pay much to do so. Of course, some players will be tougher to keep than others, but the Royals ensured they’ll have a third baseman or right fielder (or even first baseman after Carlos Santana’s deal is up) for the next five years.